Slayer Unleashed
by EllieRose101
Summary: It's the summer before Buffy starts college, and she's making the most of it – spending a lot of time with her newly mated vampire lover, who's made it his mission to get the Slayer to embrace her true nature. [Sequel to Snapshot. Becomes an AU re-write of Season 4, minus Riley and The Initiative.]
1. Summer Fun

Summer Fun

Musical tastes had been where Spike and Buffy clashed most drastically. After a week of being able to tune into her thoughts the vampire was near driven mad by how often she got an irritating little pop number stuck in her head. So, one day, he set out to rectify the situation.

"This is dumb," Buffy told him, as they sat cross-legged facing each other on the bed, surrounded by vinyl.

"S'not," he told her. "Makes perfect sense to find some common ground."

"Yeah. I agree with that, there just isn't any."

"You're giving up too easily."

"You're making picking a CD into this huge deal!"

They looked at each other, mid-argument, and burst out laughing.

"Have I ever told you how much I enjoy bickering with you, pet?" asked Spike, to which his mate nodded. "It must be the thrill of being right," he continued to joke, as she hit him with a pillow.

"Hey! Watch the records."

"Sorry," she said, with a sigh. "Okay, talk me through the plan again."

"I'm gonna play you each of these, and you rate how much you'd be willing to listen to them on a scale of zero to ten. We do the same with yer disks and then… Why are you looking at me like that?"

The Slayer was frowning, a little. "Why isn't the scale one to ten?"

"Because scales of one to ten don't leave room for things that deserve a zero."

"You're such a dork," Buffy said, smiling again. "How come I never noticed that before?"

"You're a bit dim?" Spike replied, and she silently threatened his music collection with the pillow again.

"Just put on the first song, already," she said, when he looked apologetic enough.

They got to work.

It was ten minutes before they were yelling at each other.

"You cannot give the Sex Pistols a zero!" Spike insisted.

"I can," Buffy replied, "Because you made the scale go that low."

"But it's the Sex Pistols! Punk at its finest."

"Fine!" his mate relented, "I give it a two."

"What?"

"Two. Two. I give the stupid song a TWO!"

"How can you jump from zero to a two?!"

"Now you're complaining because I gave it more?"

"I'm complaining because you're doing it wrong, luv. You clearly have no concept of the system."

"Shut up. If I wanna change my answer, skip a rating, and give it a two I will. I can do what I want!"

"Oh, do me!" Spike exclaimed, and there was silence again, for a beat, then they started tearing each other's clothes off.

* * *

Having worked off the tension, two hours later, Spike conceded that his system had flaws.

"Maybe you need to hear decent music live to pick up an appreciation for it," the vampire mused.

Buffy snorted at the mere idea. "I don't think so."

"Oh, come on, Slayer. Give it a try. Come to a gig tonight and if you don't enjoy it I'll do a forfeit."

"A forfeit?"

"Yeah."

"Forfeiting what?"

"I don't bloody know. Won't matter, because you're gonna have fun."

"And, if I don't, I can make you do stuff?"

"Within reason," he clarified.

Buffy pouted at the thought of reason, and Spike attacked her mouth again, finding himself unable to resist that lip of hers.

* * *

At an underground rock club in LA, later that evening, Buffy_ was_ actually having fun. It was mainly due to how much pleasure Spike was having and inadvertently sending her through the link, though. The Slayer considered that cheating, so still fully ended to claim her prize – once she figured out what she wanted it to be.

"I can't see the band," she complained, "Being short sucks."

"Can solve that," he said, easily lifting her up onto his shoulders.

"Wow. This is actually a pretty cool view."

"Good, 'cause I can't see a bleedin' thing. 'M not much taller than you, pet."

"You want me to lift _you_?" Buffy asked, in half seriousness.

"No," Spike answered her, after seemingly considering it. "I have a better idea."

Before the Slayer could ask what the idea was he had enacted it by turning around and having her sit backwards on his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" she asked, until he put his head under her skirt and nudged her panties aside using his nose. "Oh. Oh!"

"Don't let us bump into anything, yeah?" he told her, silently. "Keep yer eyes open."

"Yea… Yes," she agreed, nodding her head despite that fact that he couldn't see the gesture.

Spike tongued at her centre, as her fingers kneaded his scalp. She was moaning and, though no one else could hear it over the music, Spike felt the vibrations and smiled against her flesh.

'No one's even looking,' Buffy thought to herself. 'I'm here, getting off on the face of my undead lover in the middle of a sea of people and not one of them has a clue.'

'Makes it more exciting, don't it?' Spike asked her, through the link, and she had to agree with him. She'd never felt so free.

By the time the support act had finished Buffy had climaxed twice. In the break Spike got them both drinks and then lead her upstairs to a darkened balcony.

"Also a good view," Buffy commented, leaning against the barrier and looking out over the dance floor.

"Yeah," Spike agreed, as he stood behind her and pressed his erection against her ass. "This one has perks too."

Breathless at the thought of more undercover public sex Buffy tried to turn around but he held her in place.

"Huh? I thought you wanted. Oh." Realization dawned on her of exactly _how_ Spike wanted her when he started pulling her panties aside again.

"Maybe you should just stop wearing these," he commented, as he unzipped himself and let his straining member free of his pants.

Buffy couldn't answer – couldn't form coherent thoughts – as he slid the tip of his cock against her sodden clit before sliding it inside her from behind.

"Oh my- ugh!" she gasped, gripping the railing firmly.

Spike placed his hands on top of hers, leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Move with me, Slayer."

"Can't, ugh! Can't move."

"You can," he said. "Squeeze me."

She did, and he almost cried out in the strangling pleasure of it.

"That's it," he praised. "So good. So bloody good."

"Yes!" she agreed.

The main act were playing by that point so, once again, the Slayer's moans were drowned out by the music.

It was music that was growing on her, given the circumstances.

"Ten!" she cried out, as she came, which made Spike chuckle.

He nuzzled her neck and said, "I win."

_To be continued... _


	2. Demons and Dreams

Demons and Dreams

"Heads up!" Buffy shouted as she threw a knife in the direction of her lover.

"Cheers, luv," he said, catching the weapon easily and dispatching an unidentified demon by removing its head. "How about next time you give me more notice? Coulda sliced off an ear."

"Yeah right, instinct boy," the Slayer replied, while delivering kicks to two vampires who had tackled her at once. "You sensed it before it even left my hand. And my aim is excellent."

"That so?" Spike joked, as he watched his mate miss the heart of one of the vampires by mere millimeters. "Look off your game to me."

The Master vampire had sat down on a tombstone and was in the middle of lighting a cigarette when Buffy went in on her would be attacker a second time and hit home. She pushed the other one into Spike and knocked him flying.

"Sorry sweetie," she said, with a wide smile.

"Damn chit can't take a joke," he grumbled, also with a smile, as he got to his feet and ripped the head clean off the second vamp.

"Shut up," said Buffy, before kissing him and pushing him to the ground again.

Sex in a cemetery was not something a younger Buffy thought she would have enjoyed, but it turned out to be one of her favorite outdoor places to do it. Especially when the moon was high, and the stars were out.

Afterwards, while they lay under those stars, they talked about the week ahead.

"Thursday's seeing mom, right? And Friday's Giles. Or was Giles Saturday?"

"I thought we were seeing the watcher on Thursday and your mum on Sunday?"

"Wait, what day is it now?"

Spike looked at the moon and paused momentarily, before deciding it was past midnight. "Tuesday," he said. "I think."

"Ugh!" the Slayer groaned. "It all bleeds together. The upside to school was having a real schedule."

"Oh, I don't know, bleeding together sounds like a fun activity," Spike joked.

"You're gross," Buffy told him.

"Yeah, an' you love it."

"Love you," she corrected, "Not your grossness."

"Same thing."

"Whatever. Just remind me to call my mom tomorrow, to confirm when we're due."

"Will do. Jus' remember, tomorrow's our day."

Buffy laughed, thinking about how they'd spent every single day of the summer so far together. "There are days that aren't ours?"

"'course not. But tomorrow we have _specific _plans."

"Other than patrolling and sex?"

"Yeah, pet. Though 'm sure those'll also feature," Spike grinned, while Buffy frowned, trying to rack her brains.

"Knife throwing?"

"Nope."

"Food shopping?"

"Nah."

"Broadsword practice?"

"Guess again."

"Umm… Oh! Clothes shopping?"

Spike chuckled, "Nice try."

With a sigh the Slayer gave up, and he told her they were going to work on her Slayer senses more.

"That's the blindfold stuff, right?"

He nodded.

"Cool," she smiled, "I like the blindfold."

"We do have to complete the exercises before getting sidetracked this time, luv."

"Spoilsport," Buffy accused, prodding him with a finger before standing up and brushing grass off her back.

"Hey, I did say the sex would happen. Jus' at the end."

"Scheduling sex, are we that jaded?"

"Hardly!" Spike barked out a laugh, rising to his feet, content at having watched Buffy redress herself.

"Gotta say," said the Slayer, as she appreciated her mate's backside, "Training with you is a _lot _more fun than it ever was with Giles."

"Better bloody be," Spike replied. "If he was using the same tactics as me I'd be worried."

"Eww."

"Yeah. Best keep our procedures between ourselves."

"Definitely," Buffy agreed, taking his hand to begin the walk back to his apartment.

The couple had sex twice more, there, before falling asleep. And, once asleep, it started…

* * *

Spike only just managed to dodge a right hook from the strange looking being in his dreamscape. Instinctively he knew the thing trying to beat him down was a Slayer, with more than a hint of the dark side, and also ancient. As they fought he became aware the dreamscape was mirrored, and that – on the opposite side of a see-through barrier – Buffy was sat staring into a fire that had sprung up out of nowhere, while a carbon copy of the Slayer he was fighting moved around her and spoke words he couldn't hear.

He could feel his mate through the link, but it was as if it was muffled by the barrier between them, and he couldn't pick up her thoughts. Obviously rapt in whatever the other Slayer was telling her, Buffy didn't look his direction once, which brassed him off.

"Look here," he said, finally bored with ducking punches and beginning to deliver some of his own, "We're not interested in whatever game you're trying to play."

"We should not exist," the Slayer replied cryptically.

"Right," he said, rolling his eyes. "Whatever the hell that means."

"Vampire and Slayer should not be joined. The Slayer line has been corrupted. Blood polluted"

"Bullshit," Spike countered, in what he considered to be an excellent line of argument.

"Look," the Slayer said, stopping the battle suddenly and turning to view Buffy through the barrier. "She is love. Full of love. You are death. A scourge to our kind. Worse than the other vampires."

"Oi! 'm not worse!"

"You have killed two Slayers. Sought the deaths of three more. Sought out our line specifically. More than any other fanged beast."

"Oh. Well, yeah," Spike ran a hand through his hair and looked at his feet.

"We are offering her the chance to break your bond," she continued, and suddenly he looked up again. Horrified, angry, and scared.

"She wouldn't," he said, with more confidence than he felt.

"Even for the sake of her destiny?"

"What makes you think being with me will make her give that up?"

The Slayer shook her head and told him, "You take it from her."

"No!" said Spike, forcefully.

"So you reject the claim?"

"What?! No!"

"So you take her destiny."

"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed, at his wits end. "This is an either or? Break the claim or take her destiny?"

The Slayer nodded, and he was silent. Next thing he knew Buffy was shaking him awake.

_To be continued... _


	3. Deconstruction

Deconstruction

When Spike woke from his dream Buffy told him he'd been freaking her out, with the emotions he'd been sending through their link. He asked her if she dreamt, too, and she was tempted to lie, until she realized that he already knew and that she literally couldn't hide anything from him anyway.

"Stupid claim," she muttered in frustration, and instantly disappointment flooded her. Disappointment, sorrow, resignation, and grief – all of which were coming from Spike.

Looking up at her hurting mate she tried to reassure him that she didn't mean the offhand comment.

"I do_ not_ regret this thing we have!"

"What did you dream?" he asked, bypassing sentiment and sticking closely to the matter in hand. Buffy sighed and told him she had conversed with the first Slayer.

"The first one, huh? Explains the sense of being ancient, but not the darkness."

Her brow furrowed. "I don't know what you mean."

"Doesn't matter. Tell me what she said."

"She… She said I'm full of love."

He nodded. "With you so far."

The Slayer sighed again, then continued, "She said a lot of stuff. Half of which was in some kind of code that I'm pretty sure only made sense to people that are her… but the message was clear."

"She wants us apart," Spike summarized.

"Well, yeah," Buffy admitted. "But that doesn't matter. I mean, she's not even alive anymore! What she wants counts for zero, because _I _want us together."

"You sure?"

"I'm the one that asked for it, aren't I?"

"Maybe you didn't know what it'd be like," he said, casting his eyes around the darkened room. "Maybe you change-"

Buffy took his hand and said, "It's been wonderful, Spike._ Better_ than what I expected."

He was looking at her again, then. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she insisted, before trying to kiss him. Spike shied away, though. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

"Of course it is! I don't want to take your bloody destiny away!"

"My destiny? What are you talking about?"

"Bint didn't mention that part to you?"

Buffy shook her head. There was annoyance and frustration rolling off her in waves, then anger as Spike told her the ultimatum he'd been given.

"I can't believe she said that. Stupid witch!"

"Buffy…"

"What? It's a horrible thing to tell you. To make you think – wait, you believe her?"

"You don't?"

The Slayer shook her head again, saying, "I think if I was in danger of losing my destiny she would have told me. Or, actually, be able to figure it out on my own. None of the cryptic crap she said sounded like that at all."

"And if you're wrong?" he asked, quietly.

"Then I'm wrong! We're not breaking the claim. Unless… Is that what you want?"

She didn't know why she asked, because she knew with her entire being that breaking the claim was the last thing in the world Spike wanted, second only to the possibly of hurting her. And therein lay the problem.

"Look, Spike," she continued, in a more gentle tone. "This is nothing. Just a bitter dead Slayer trying to shake us up. Don't worry about it."

"Okay," he agreed, while still worrying about it. She could hear all the little panicked thoughts running around his head, but chose to ignore them and kiss him goodnight. He didn't pull away that time, and as she rolled on her side, he spooned her tightly against his chest.

* * *

When the Slayer woke up again, later that morning, Buffy caught Spike wondering if breaking the claim was even possible.

'Must be,' he thought, 'If the bint's asking me to do it.'

Turning around to face her mate, Buffy asked if he'd actually managed to get back to sleep at all.

"Not so much," he admitted.

"Okay, so you have no idea how to break a claim? Well, I have no clue how someone can lose their destiny. As far as I'm concerned neither are possible, so the whole thing's void."

The logic of what she said did reassure him, a bit, but he resolved to ask the watcher about it. Buffy didn't dissuade him, hoping it might help, but she was let down by her father figure.

"If there's any risk at all to the mission you should sacrifice the claim," Giles had told them.

She was flabbergasted. Speechless. And Spike was feeling rejection so strong she could barely comprehend it.

'You are not losing me,' she told him, silently, as she squeezed his hand with enough force that would have left a mortal bleeding. 'I'll marry you if I have to.'

His eyes lit up – wide and awestruck – at that.

"You don't have to marry me," he answered her, aloud, much to the confusion of Rupert. "But thanks for sayin' it."

Buffy let out a sigh of relief and said, "Good. Because we_ totally_ can't afford a wedding."

He smiled at her levity and decided that he would stop projecting his anguish unto her.

"Not sure brooding suits me," he said.

"Not at all," she agreed. "Makes you look old."

"Oi!" he laughed.

"Oh, oi yourself," Buffy replied, before kissing him. She could never stop kissing him for long. His lips were like an addiction to her.

"Was some sort of decision reached?" Giles asked, after watching the exchange.

"Yeah," Buffy answered him, with a broad smile, when the lip lock ended. "I'm keeping this one. He's my destiny."

The watcher tried to argue with her, but she was not for shifting. In fact, the entire situation had only made her _more_ determined to tie herself to Spike.

* * *

Later that day, between training and patrolling, she asked if she could move in.

"I thought you already had," he replied with sincerity. "You spend all your time here.

"I know. You're right. Just, can I? Officially?"

"That depends…"

"On what?"

"On if yer mom plans on officially hating me for taking her little girl away."

Buffy rolled her eyes and echoed his earlier words saying, "I already spend all my time here."

"Not officially," he reminded her.

"Spike!" she whined, wanting a real answer, and he grinned.

"Nothin' would make me happier, pet."

Relieved, the Slayer told him she was going to redecorate and withdraw her application to live in the student dorms the following week.

"I ate a decorator, once," said Spike. "Thought he'd passed on bloody great taste. Pardon the pun."

Buffy rolled her eyes, but effect of the gesture was negated by the smile on her face.

"Living together with my boyfriend. This is _totally _gonna be great!"

_To be continued... _


	4. Playing House

Playing House

Packing. Moving boxes. Decorating. Shopping. Unpacking. Bickering. Sex. Patrolling. More sex. Cleaning. More unpacking, and even more sex. It had been a busy week for Buffy and Spike, but they wouldn't have changed any of it, given the opportunity. Joyce had bought them a large houseplant as a moving in present, and tried (and failed) to hold back tears as she made declarations of her baby girl being "all grown up."

"Next thing I know you'll be married with kids!" she had proclaimed, which made the couple give each other a look, which was misinterpreted. "Oh god, please don't tell me you're pregnant?!"

"No! Mom. A big no to that! It's just…"

"Vampires can't exactly reproduce," Spike interjected, to save his mate the awkward topic.

"Oh," said Joyce, as her expression changed from shocked to sad. "I'm not going to be a grandmother."

Buffy was at a loss at what to say to that, but Spike gave Joyce's hand a little squeeze and a sympathetic look to let her know it was all okay.

"Oh, I'm being silly," she said, then, waving him away with a grateful expression.

The Slayer smiled at her mate and silently thanked him. Her mom's comment made it clear she expected her and Spike to be together for good, and that she actually _wanted_ them to have kids someday – albeit some day a very,_ very_ long way in the future – and it touched her. There was no way the woman would ever have felt that way about Angel.

* * *

"Who knew you were good with mom's?" Buffy asked her vampire, after her mother had left, and he didn't answer, but the thoughts and feelings running through him that the question prompted told her there was a story there, that he wasn't quite ready to share with her, yet. She understood that, and she didn't pry. Instead she said, "I wish you'd been around years ago, to explain some other things to her. Would have made my life_ so_ much easier."

Spike smiled, knowing full well what she was doing.

"You didn't tell your mom about the no kids thing?" he said, getting back on topic.

"Well, no," Buffy admitted. "Like I said, explaining things like that, kinda never been easy. And I didn't think it would ever come up."

"And the marriage thing?"

"I thought we covered that a wedding is _way_ expensive?"

"Not what I meant, luv."

The Slayer sighed, knowing full well what he meant. "How can I tell her we're the undead equivalent of married? She'll want to know why she wasn't invited to the ceremony, and then who's gonna explain that it was a private sexy moment? I mean- Spike, are you even listening to me?"

His eyes were glazed over, a little, and he was staring at her crotch, while unthinkingly grabbing at his own. "Huh? What? Oh, sorry," he grinned and looked at her face again. "Got a bit distracted thinkin' about our private sexy moment. Do you wanna-"

Having relived the memory herself, Buffy had began undressing before Spike got finished his question.

_To be continued... _


	5. College Life

College Life

Before she knew it the summer was over, and the time had come for Buffy to set herself up at school. Her freshman year at college. Shouldn't she be more excited? The 'best years of her life' were supposed to be ahead of her, but all she wanted to do was to go home and curl up in the arms of her undead lover.

"Totally not a normal girl," she muttered to herself, as she saw Oz and Willow starting to make their way across the quad to where she was sat nursing a coffee.

Willow asked her how things were going with Spike, to which Buffy said they were good, and told her about the freaky double dream, which accidently segued into her telling them how good her sex life was, at which point Oz excused himself.

* * *

Spike woke up to an empty bed, and to the sensation of his mate being hot and bothered. He could tell she'd been thinking about them being together, so he decided to send her a few more mental images for her bank.

"Sorry," said a very bashful Slayer. "I really didn't mean to say all that. But you guys seem good. Are you good?"

"Yeah," the witch nodded. "We are. We umm… Kinda took _that step_, just before graduation."

"What?! Willow, that's awesome. Was it awesome?"

"Kinda was," she admitted, blushing then herself.

Buffy stood up, deciding they needed a firm break from embarrassment, but Willow just looked at her confusedly.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"To get more coffee, I just told you."

"Umm, no, you didn't."

"Yes I di- Oh. My bad," Buffy laughed, a little, and gave a wave of her hand. "I just thought it. Sorry, _wayy _too used to communicating silently."

"Okay?" said Willow – her brow furrowing in confusion even more.

"I didn't tell you Spike and I can read each other's minds?"

"Nu-uh."

"Sorry," Buffy said again, chastising herself for being a horrible friend.

'You're a great friend,' Spike interjected to tell her, and she smiled, which wigged the witch out more.

"I need to get used to this," she said. "Definitely more chat and coffee needed. Oh! And I can tell you about my roommate! She's called Tara, and she's really cool. Practices magic too."

* * *

When Buffy returned home Spike jumped on her instantly.

"Never leave me for that long again," he said, while roughly removing her clothes.

She let out a small laugh and said that it had been a standard length day, and that he'd have to get used to it.

"Well," he countered, "You're gonna have to get used to this kind of greeting."

"Think I could do that," she replied, with a devious smile.

* * *

The next night Spike and Buffy went on a double date with Willow and Oz at the Bronze. The vampire and wolf got on better than anyone would have expected, as they talked about seventies rock music, and obscure philosophical theories that even went over the witch's head. While they were lost in deep conversation the girls discussed Xander, and the follies of his roadtrip around all fifty states, which he'd been keeping Willow updated with by means of a weekly postcard.

They saw Harmony dancing with some guy.

"That's the guy from Psych 101," said Buffy. "Parker, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it is," agreed the witch. "Rumor has is it he's a bit of a sleaze bag."

"Really? But he always seemed so nice."

"It's the nice ones you gotta watch out for," Spike commented, rejoining the main conversation.

"Guess I'm safe there, then," Buffy joked.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm bad to the bone."

Buffy outright laughed at that. "Sure you are," she said, with a wink.

_To be continued... _


	6. Group Politics

Group Politics

The gang had gathered at Giles' apartment for an old–style Scooby meeting, not because there was any particular danger, but simply because they hadn't had one in a while, and the group wanted to welcome Xander back from his travels. The boy had brought Anya along. At some point in the week since he'd returned the two seemed to have formed a relationship, much to Willow's annoyance. The young witch was upset when the ex-vengeance demon pointed out she was driving everyone else mad, talking non-stop about how awesome her roommate was.

"You love her so damn much I'm surprised you're not sleeping together," she said.

Willow's mouth dropped open in shock, and she blushed. Not that she'd admit it, but Oz had made a similar comment to her, just that morning. He was off practicing with his band, and she was grateful he hadn't heard Anya's conclusion.

"That's not nice to say, Ahn," Xander pointed out.

"But it's true," Anya maintained. "I've only ever heard people in romantic relationships go on so much about the supposedly appealing attributes in each other."

"Not nice," he repeated, after struggling to find it within himself to properly disagree with her.

"Why is she here again?" Willow questioned her best friend, not bothering at all to hide her bitterness.

"Because Harris likes the ex-vengeance chit," Spike answered. "I say good for him. The group needs a little more brutal honesty."

"More brutal honesty?" Xander interjected, "How's this? I still don't like you."

Spike humored him. "'An' why's that, exactly?" he asked.

"You're evil! A demon!"

That had been the expected response, of course.

"Okay," Spike leaned forward and spoke seriously. "Let me lay this out for ya: your girl was a demon. She'd still be one, if she had the choice. Reckon she's got thousands more deaths on her hands than me. And me? I'd be human again-" he nodded towards Buffy – "For her. If I got the chance. But we don't get those choices, Whelp. We can only do what we can. But don't think for a second that your girl is more acceptable than me, jus' cause she got a pretty little soul. Don't mean jack, in my book."

There was silence.

Spike reclined again, and Anya nodded her head in agreement with his words.

"Right," began Willow, desperately trying to change topic. She turned to Buffy and asked, "So, did the First Slayer ever turn up in your dreams again?"

"Nah. But, really, with her being dead and all it's not surprising. Wait a second-" the Slayer turned to Giles. "Have we stopped to ask how she contacted us from beyond the grave in the first place?"

"I, well… That's not-" the watcher blustered. "I've been busy!"

The Slayer looked down at the glass of Scotch in his hand, then back up at his face, and quirked her eyebrow – silently saying all that needed to be said.

Giles sat down in defeat saying, "Right, okay, fair enough. I've been slacking."

"It's okay," said Buffy. "Everyone needs a little down time. But giving up an opportunity to research something… are you okay?"

What had started out as a light, reassuring sentence ended up weighed down with sudden concern.

"Really, I'm fine," Giles insisted, while finishing his drink in a single swallow.

"Your watcher is feeling like a spare part," Anya pointed out. "Now that you're training only with Spike."

"Anya!" Xander chided, in exasperation.

"That right?" Spike asked the older man.

"Perhaps," he allowed.

"Well, that's totally fixable," Buffy chimed in. "We can train again, if you want."

Spike frowned, and the Slayer reassured him that the watcher training would be on top of what they did privately – not instead of. The vampire still wasn't happy, though.

"Yer schedule's pretty packed," he reminded her. "Don't want to overdo things."

"Well, I'm sure if Buffy stops boning you she'll have plenty of time for everything else," said Xander.

Everyone turned to look at him, and he gulped under the pressure of their stares.

"I didn't mean that. I'm just, y'know-" he trailed off, and waved his hand in the direction of Spike.

"Annoyed because he very easily pointed out a massive flaw in your thinking and made you readdress all of your prejudices towards him?" Anya provided.

The boy winced and said, "Yeah, that."

"Wonderful," Spike deadpanned, before taking hold of Buffy's hand and leading her towards to the door. He was internally fuming, which was the only reason the Slayer didn't scold him when he declared, "I'm off to bone m' misses," before slamming Giles' front door behind them.

The watcher poured himself another drink and opened a book to begin research.

_To be continued... _


	7. Routine

A/N: This chapter follows on directly from where the last left off.

* * *

Routine

Spike pulled Buffy aside and made firm love to her against a wall before they had even made it half way home. She gasped as she came, and clutched him tightly – trembling.

"'M sorry," he muttered into her hair. "Had to work off the tension."

"M'yeh," the Slayer replied - wholly unable to form a coherent sentence.

The vampire carried on talking, regardless.

"Don' want you stretching yourself too far," he said, as his fingers idly skated across her goose pimpled flesh, and he breathed in her scent. "Don' think they believe I really mean that. That 'm trying to think of yer best interests."

"Sshhh," Buffy whispered, before kissing him deeply. While her lips danced with his she reassured him through the bond that she understood his motives, and that that was all that really mattered. "They'll come around," she said, out loud, when their mouths finally parted. "Think you've finally gotten through to Xander."

"Yeah," Spike agreed. "Boy jus' needs a couple days to chew on that, I reckon."

Buffy smiled and pulled away, before pulling down her clothes and taking Spike's hand to continue their walk.

* * *

The next day Buffy and Giles tried to train together. He was very impressed with how her skills had developed, but had to admit the session felt stilted.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "Little awkward. But it's fine."

"Awkward?"

"Yeah, I… Giles, don't take this the wrong way, because I love you, but I found my flow with Spike, and it's weird not fighting alongside him. Kinda feels wrong, actually."

"Well, you do need to prepare for situations in which he may not be available," Giles reasoned.

"I know. I know. You're right. It… it's just-"

"Not working."

"Not really," she admitted. "I'm sorry."

The watcher hung his head a little – he had expected the outcome. Luckily, though, he had a backup plan for where to direct his time and efforts - to help his surrogate daughter in another way.

"What do you think of this training room?" he asked.

"It's great!" said Buffy, with genuine enthusiasm.

Giles brow furrowed in response, as a thought struck him. He had rented the back room in the Magic Box for the evening, as he realized his place wasn't suitable, and there was nowhere else aside from one of the graveyards.

"Where do you and Spike train?"

"Oh, we do it everywhere," the Slayer replied. Again, the response came with enthusiasm, and then a blush, followed by swift back peddling. "I… I mean, work. We work out lots of places. Totally professional, all of the time."

"Quite," replied Giles, refusing to let himself think about the truth behind her initial response. "This… uh, this training room. It would be useful for you, if you had permanent access to it?"

"Sure, but how are we gonna get that?"

Giles smiled, then let her in on his plans to buy the entire store.

"That's wonderful!" she beamed back at him.

The watcher was struck once again at just how much happier she'd become since uniting with Spike. More youthful, almost, but no less mature. Musings about how unlikely their relationship had initially been, and how good a match it had turned out to be, where interrupted by Buffy's latest brainwave.

"Hey, maybe you could let him help out?" she said. "Lift boxes or something. Sort inventory. _Anything_?"

Picking up on her badly veiled desperation, Giles asked what the matter was.

"Nothing," she insisted. "He just gets bored, now that I'm at college… and he can't be evil."

The Slayer hung her head at the last part, which made her watcher smile again.

"Buffy, there's really no need to be bashful. I suppose it rather makes sense that he would feel at a loose end. And you shouldn't feel shame for his past deeds. Hmm… the words 'his' and 'past' sum it up quite nicely, don't you think?" he shook his head, as if to clear it, then continued saying, "If anything I'm impressed that he was able to stop his ah… activities, for you with such ease."

Buffy's shoulders visibly relaxed. She grinned at her father figure's excess use of language, and waved off his words saying, "Spike stopped killing long before he came back."

"Oh?" Giles was genuinely shocked. "Why?"

She gave a shrug, and a wistful smile. "He didn't think I'd find out, or that I'd believe him, but he did it anyway. Because I wouldn't approve."

"Extraordinary!" the watcher exclaimed.

"Not really," Spike drawled, as he walked in the door – having caught the end of the conversation.

The vampire turned to Buffy and lightly chastised her, saying, "That was supposed to be private."

"Oops?" she said, with a guilty smirk.

"S'okay," he said, dropping a heavy kiss against her mouth. "So why am I up for discussion?"

"Giles is gonna buy the Magic Box. I was thinking maybe you could help him."

"Wanna keep be occupied," he said with a bob of his head. "Tough luck, kitten. Missed yer chance. Already got it covered."

Buffy balked, "Don't tell me you got a job?!"

"'S that so surprising?"

"I… No. Well, yeah. Kinda, actually."

Giles watched the exchange with interest. He was all too aware that from the moment the vampire had walked in the room his presence was no longer on the Slayer's mental register. He could be dancing the jive in a tutu not five feet away, and he was sure she wouldn't notice. Filtering out his thoughts, and listening again to the conversation playing out before him, he was able to gather that Spike had agreed to be a roadie for Oz's band.

"Wolf's got an amp shoved in the witch's place, said I'd help him move it round to ours later. We can store other equipment there too, for a fee."

"How much?"

The vampire shrugged, admitting, "Not a lot."

"Well, I think it's great," Buffy decided.

Suddenly they were kissing again, and before Giles knew it the vampire – who was also seemingly unaware or uncaring of his presence – had backed Buffy up against the pommel horse and was eagerly groping at her. Cleaning his glasses, the watcher made a swift exit to the main store, to examine the accounts.

* * *

Later, when Spike and Oz did go to Willow's, they walked in on her kissing her roommate.

_To be continued... _


	8. Findings

Findings

Oz almost instantly began to wolf out at the sight of Willow and Tara caught in a tender embrace in front of him. Tara screamed at the transformation, and raised her hand to shoot him down with magic, but Spike got there first and incapacitated him before there was need.

"Ladies," he said, with a casual nod of his head, before dragging the werewolf back out the door.

The two witches looked at each other in shock, before Willow sprang to her feet to go after the guys. The phone stopped her in her tracks, though. Picking up she found Buffy on the other end.

"What the heck just happened?" asked the anxious Slayer.

"I… umm…" mumbled the red head.

"I just got a whole bunch of garbled stuff from Spike's head, _really_ fast, and he wanted me to call you… I think," there was a pause on the line as Buffy processed a bit of what she experienced second hand. Willow was still stunned speechless when the Slayer continued with a summary. "General chit chat, music crap, kissing, danger, practical ways to hog tie a wolf, and damage control. Explain-y?"

"Oh Buffy!" the witch whispered, before bursting into tears.

Tara went to her side, to comfort her, but Willow flinched away from the girl's touch.

The words 'I'm coming over' were on the tip of Buffy's tongue, but they vanished the second her front door opened and Spike strode in carrying an unconscious, bound up Oz still very much in his canine guise.

"He might need some clothes," said Spike in a distracted mumble. His eyes had that far away look, that made you wonder what was going on in someone's head – if you didn't already have direct access to their thoughts, that is.

Buffy hung up the phone without a second thought and went to her mate. It seemed he was still processing the sharp change of events, too. And, as he did, the Slayer got a clearer picture of what happened.

"Poor Oz," she sighed.

"Yeah," Spike agreed, as his brow furrowed. "Infidelity hurts like a bitch."

Remembering – she realized – was what he had been doing. There was a surge of emotions passing through the Vampire that Buffy had first thought was an empathic response to what Oz was feeling, but it was more than that.

"What Dru did still hurts you," she concluded.

Spike's mind snapped back into gear at that, and he shook off the glazed look to give her a small grin. "Only when I think about it," he said, before kissing Buffy to reassure her his ex-lover was gone from his mind once more.

* * *

Half way through a conversation about how best to handle Oz, when he came round, Giles arrived at Spike and Buffy's apartment with his research on the First Slayer.

"It's a shoddy misinterpretation at best," he was saying, regarding what Spike had been told in the vision. "A blatant lie at worse. Intent to hurt. You see, the text says the balanced couple will_ share_ the destiny of the lighter half. Not that the darker half will take it from her."

"So this is a good thing?" Buffy clarified.

"Bloody hell," Spike exclaimed. "Stupid bint tried to make me break the claim over something damn well helpful for us!"

"It would appear so," Giles answered them both.

"I don't think she likes you," Buffy told her mate, by way of explanation.

"You don't say," he drawled. "But how did you know not to trust her?"

"Instinct," she said, plainly, which made him smile.

"God, I love you, Summers."

"I know," Buffy grinned, before kissing him. "So, a shared destiny, huh?" she directed her words back to her watcher. "What does that mean?"

"That I haven't came across yet," he admitted. "I'm afraid the texts are unclear."

"But the Powers that Be _do _have a specific plan for us? How do we find out what it is if it's not in some ancient book?"

"We wait until they're ready to tell us," Spike guessed.

Buffy frowned. "When are they likely to do that?"

"Oh, who the hell knows?! In the meantime, I have a warewolf in a cage to deal with. If you'll excuse me."

As Spike got up to leave - after a parting kiss, of course - he slipped a disk into Buffy's hand. She looked at him in question, but he just smiled and said nothing. The Slayer's frown returned as she examined it – a CD, with no label - then she excused herself, to find something to play it on…

A melody came out of the speakers. Just a single song. Nothing she recognized.

"Huh."

"What's the significance of this?" Giles asked her, and she jumped, having forgotten he was still there. She hadn't noticed him follow her into the room, and she scolded herself for it. It was becoming a habit to only have Spike on her radar.

"I don't know," she finally answered her watcher, with genuine confusion.

* * *

Later, after Giles had left, Spike returned from checking on Oz.

"How is he?" Buffy asked him.

"Back to bein' human," he replied. "Little shaken up. Sayin' very little."

"So unlike him."

"Ha, yeah. Give 'im a some time. I said he could crash here."

Buffy bobbed her head in agreement, then asked Spike about the disk he'd presented her with earlier.

"D'ya like it?" he asked.

"I guess," she answered, vaguely. Clearly the song meant something to him, and she was supposed to recognize it… she was still drawing a total blank.

Her mate looked a little crestfallen. "Took me weeks to hunt that down," he said.

"I'm sorry!" she replied.

"'s'okay," he told her, unconvincingly, before getting up to play it again. "Dance with me?"

"Okay," Buffy agreed, eagerly, taking hold of his offered hand.

They had no problem finding their rhythm, as in sync as they were.

"See, that's it!" Spike declared, excitedly, about half way through, when the song had reached a key change and the Slayer had let go of him to put her hands above her head and let herself be taken by the sound.

"Huh?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"This song right here, baby," he said, dropping kisses across the exposed flesh of her throat that made her shudder with need. "It's the one that was playing, first night I saw you. Was captivated from right then."

"This song?" she asked.

"This song," he confirmed. "Was a live band, in The Bronze. You were dancing with the Whelp, all seductive like. God, I'll never forget it."

"I'm sorry I did."

"'s'okay," Spike said, again, as he began kissing down the other side of her throat – over the claim mark he'd given her. "To be fair, you didn' know I was there."

"Mmm," she breathed. "Spike."

"Yes, luv?"

"Make love to me."

_To be continued... _


	9. Nature

Nature 

Stomach rumbling, Oz padded into Buffy and Spike's kitchen in search of food. He could overhear an argument between the couple, in the next room.

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me," Spike was saying.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Buffy asked him.

An emphatic yes was the answer, apparently.

"You're being ridiculous," said Buffy.

"Am not!" Spike shot back, before realizing they weren't alone. Walking to the doorway, between the rooms, Spike then demanded of Oz why _he_ hadn't said anything.

"Uh…" said the wolf, with a piece of toast half way to his mouth.

"I mean, we're mates, right?"

"I guess."

"So why am I the last to know my bird was a soddin' cheerleader!"

Oz frowned and Spike threw up his hands before turning back round to his lover.

She was shaking her head and smiling.

"Ignore him," she told Oz. "How are you?"

"Fine," he answered, while paying close attention to Spike's mug.

The Vampire gave him a knowing glance. "Want some?"

"Of course he doesn't," Buffy answered for him.

"Uh, no. Thanks," he said for himself, though he couldn't stop taking deep, yet subtle, lungfuls of air through his nose.

Ignoring his Mate, Spike informed him that it was fine. Pig's blood, not human.

Again Oz declined.

"Bloody hell, why does everyone hav'ta be so difficult? Here!" the Vampire took out a raw pork chop that had been defrosting in the fridge and thrust it at the boy. "That socially acceptable enough for you?"

Oz gave a small appreciative smile, but before he could devour the meat Buffy stepped in his way and snagged it from him.

"Spike, that's raw!" she pointed out. When her Mate rolled his eyes she tried to put her point another way. "It still has blood in it!"

Not able to take it a moment longer the wolf took to plate and uttered a small "Thanks," before tearing into it using his hands.

Buffy's mouth was agape.

"Was kinda the point, luv," Spike finally answered her.

"Oh."

* * *

Later Spike and Oz sat down to talk about it. The boy seemed troubled.

"Don't really understand why I became the wolf," he admitted. "Why I have these cravings. Without the moon, I mean."

Spike shook his head. "You didn't become anything. The wolf is what you are. Soon as you understand that your life is gonna get a whole lot easier."

"Huh."

"I'm a Vampire, right? A man with a demon. The Slayer's a, well, Slayer. But she's still a girl. I don't know what everyone's bloody fascination is with only being one thing or the other. Way I see it, we're better this way."

Oz shook his head slightly. "Buffy agree with you?"

Spike gave a shrug. "She's startin' to."

"You're training her?"

"Yeah. Can sort you, too, if you want."

"Don't think I need battle skills."

It was the Vampire's turn to shake his head. "It ain't about that. Not mostly. It's about-"

"Embracing your true nature," Buffy finished for him, having just walked into the room and caught their conversation.

"In my case that works," she continued. "Because, hello!, warrior of light. I'm really not sure that's best for either of you."

"Damnit!" Spike exclaimed, getting up and punching a wall.

The Slayer was genuinely shocked at his sudden rage.

"What-" she began to ask.

"I thought you we're smarter than that!" her Mate interrupted.

"What does that mean?" – she was angry then, too.

Oz was about to have a ringside seat to an argument completely unlike the one earlier in the day. "Guys…" he said, but they were glaring at each other so intensely he may as well have vanished.

"Spike, why are you pissed? And taking it out on the furniture? And me!"

"Apparently you've learnt nothing in the time we've been together. You think my nature – a fundamental part of me is irrevocably wrong."

"Well…" Buffy tapped her foot and looked around awkwardly. "No."

"Yeah, you do. It's what you said. Sweetheart, I'm only as evil as I wanna be."

"You, yeah. But not your demon. Or any other vamps."

"I am my demon, Buffy!" Spike yelled.

"Uh, guys," Oz tried again.

The Vampire pointed to him saying, "He is too."

"No," Buffy replied, with a frown. Feeling how hurt her Mate was was deeply affecting her. "You're not evil. Either of you. I wasn't saying-"

"You were saying that all demons are evil."

"But you don't count!" she argued.

"Why?" Spike countered.

"Because you're not evil, duh!"

Utterly at the end of his tether, Spike stomped from the room. Buffy's instinct told her to go after him, but as soon as she went to move he sent her a forceful mental message to give him some space. She flounced down on the couch, next to Oz, and rubbed her temples.

_To be continued... _


End file.
